Submitted photo: The fifth-ranked Fort Dodge wrestling squad took second overall in the 42-team Council Bluffs Classic on Saturday.

COUNCIL BLUFFS — Dreshaun Ross had his first high school tournament championship locked up on Saturday at the Council Bluffs Classic, but a stalling call took away the guarantee.

That lit a fire under the Fort Dodge freshman, who took care of business with an overtime victory for 195-pound gold.

Ross’ title helped the Dodgers secure the silver medal at the Council Bluffs Classic, as they had 388 total points. Millard South of Nebraska claimed gold with 564.5 points.

“We weren’t even looking at the team standings until late in the day when we were in third,” said FDSH head coach Bobby Thompson. “(Junior) Dru (Ayala) first noticed where we were standing and we really got after it (in the final round).

“I’m proud of the way we wrestled aggressively and got bonus points. This was truly a team effort from everyone.”

The top-ranked Ayala earned the 113-pound crown for the Dodgers as well.

Fort Dodge recorded 39 total falls in the two-day, 42-school event. The Dodgers had 90.5 bonus points.

To go along with their two individual crowns, sixth-ranked (IAwrestle) 152-pounder Damarion Ross was third at 160, No. 12 Cal Hartman (182) was fourth, sixth-ranked Max Bishop (113) took sixth, second-ranked Koy Davidson (138) placed seventh, No. 8 Kane Butrick (126) was ninth and No. 10 Keaton Nichols (285) finished 10th.

The precocious Ross, Iowa’s second-ranked wrestler at 195 pounds, faced off against Nebraska’s top-ranked Caedin Olin of Millard South in the championship round. The Dodger rookie recorded an escape early in the second period for a 1-0 lead.

Ross (10-2) was on top for the third period and looked to ride out Olin for the win. He got a warning for stalling with 30 seconds left in the period.

With five seconds remaining in regulation, Olin was rewarded a stalling point to knot the score at 1-1 and the match went to OT.

Ross wasted no time in sudden victory, taking a shot off the whistle, recording a takedown and clinching the win. Ross beat Glenwood’s second-rated (2A) CJ Carter in the semifinals by a 3-0 count.

“You don’t want to make Dreshaun mad,” Thompson said. “He was able to fight through the late stalling call and earn the points in the OT. When he gets in that make-or-break mindset, he’s tough to beat.

“I thought he was a bit conservative earlier in the match. He needs to let it fly no matter who he is wrestling. In close matches, he has to close the door on them, so a call doesn’t impact him like that. It’s all a part of the learning curve at this level.”

In the 113-pound final, Ayala (11-1) met second-ranked (Kansas) Easton Broxterman (11-1) of Washburn.

“Both kids are No. 1 in their respective states,” Thompson said. “Dru was dominating in the finals and was mad that he gave up a takedown.

“He did a great job of rallying the kids and being a leader. This was a true team effort to get second place.”

Ayala picked up an 8-5 decision to earn gold. Ayala earned six wins in the two-day tourney, including one fall, three tech falls and a major decision.

“It was kind of funny: Dru was looking up points from last year and said we didn’t score enough,” Thompson said. “They’re starting to understand that bonus points are huge, and to get to that next level, we have to have an overall team effort top to bottom.”

Damarion Ross (12-2) lost to third-rated Henry Reilly (12-0) of Millard South (Nebraska) in the 160 pound semifinal. Ross went toe-to-toe with Reilly, falling 3-1 in TB-1.

Hartman (8-5) lost his semifinal match to second-rated Lucas Slack (10-1) of Brandon Valley (South Dakota). Slack picked up a 3-0 decision.

Hartman then fell to No. 3 Coleton Haggin of Nebraska 6-2 in the medal round.

Sophomore Koy Davidson (11-3) lost both of his matches to top-ranked opponents. He fell to No. 1 Cole Toline of Lincoln East (Nebraska) in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Cael Alderman (Olathe North, Kansas). Davidson bounced back with a 9-2 win over Maddox Casella of Mill Valley.

Bishop (9-6) won seven matches in the tournament, including six by fall. The FDSH senior lost in the quarterfinals to top-ranked Landen Kocher-Umnoz of Washburn, Kansas.

On the consolation side, Bishop fell to Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s fifth-rated Ethan Skoglund, 10-5.

Butrick (10-5) lost to top-ranked Miles Anderson of Millard South (Nebraska), and second-ranked Dillon Cooper of Mill Valley (Kansas). Butrick also dropped a close match to fourth-ranked Jabari Hinson (13-1) of Ames, 3-2.

The junior had three falls, a major decision and a decision.

“All the guys wrestled tough,” Thompson said. “Collin (Munter) made huge gains and got into the silver bracket (at 220 pounds). Keaton was solid in the gold bracket. Cal wrestled well and was disappointed he lost his third-place match.

“Up and down the lineup, we made improvements.”

Fort Dodge visits Des Moines Lincoln for a dual on Thursday, then hosts its annual Don Miller Invitational on Saturday in the Dodger gym.